What does EBITDA measure?

EBITDA, which stands for Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, serves as a measure of a company's operational performance. It focuses on earnings derived from core business activities without being affected by capital structure, tax rates, or non-cash accounting items like depreciation and amortization. This makes it a useful metric for assessing how well a company can generate profit from its operations.

By concentrating on earnings before the impact of financial and accounting decisions, EBITDA provides clearer insight into the operational profitability of a company. Investors and analysts often use it to evaluate and compare the profitability between companies in the same industry, as it strips away factors that could vary widely between businesses.

Understanding operational performance is crucial for investors and stakeholders as it helps them gauge how effectively a company is running its core business functions. Each of the other options does not accurately capture the broader scope of EBITDA's purpose, focusing instead on specific numbers or components that don't encompass the full operational performance picture.